"It is certainly not a PR-stunt," he told the Independent. “People have said certain things such as: ‘Why haven’t you been called up before?’

"But they have not been eligible to try and qualify for these tournaments and financially it did not make sense to fly me over."

Barnsley's Scott Wiseman and Adam Priestley of Farsley Athletic are the other English-based players set to take on Slovakia in a friendly before Gibraltar ready themselves for the qualification campaign for Euro 2016.

Gibraltar is UEFA's 54th and smallest member and Higginbotham is under no illusions as to the challenge that awaits him and his teammates. But he conceded that it was it was something he had to do.

"When you get to 34, almost 35, you have seen most things, but I would have been a fool to turn this down," he added. "It’s something I can achieve in my life."